BENEDETTI FOUNDATION

Improvisation for Beginners with Richard Michael

Monday 4 and 11 October

5 - 5.30pm UK Time

Join jazz pianist Richard Michael as he takes us on an improvisation adventure suitable for beginner players of any instrument.

Richard Michael

Registration Fee: £8 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form) - Week 1 recording available​

Intermediate/Advanced Strings: Approaching a New Piece (all strings) with Amy Beth Horman

Monday 4 October

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

Amy Beth Horman is a concert violinist, teacher and founder of Violin Breakfast. In this session, she will explore with us all the tips and tricks for how to approach a brand new piece of music. This session is most suitable for Intermediate and Advanced level string players, but players of all instruments are welcome to attend.

Amy Beth Horman

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)​

Intermediate/Advanced Double Bass: Detangling Technical Twisters with Alice Kent

Monday 4 October

7- 8 pm UK Time

In this session, Double bassist Alice Kent will work with Intermediate and Advanced Double Basses to untangle the most common technical challenges. Participants are invited to bring along any questions, passages from their repertoire or anything you may be finding tricky to the session.

Alice Kent

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Rhythm Basics for Beginners with Elsa Bradley

Tuesday 5 and 12 October

5 - 5.30 pm UK Time

In these two sessions, percussionist Elsa Bradley will work with beginner players to understand the basics of rhythm – bring along anything you can create rhythms on and get ready for a fun and interactive set of sessions. These sessions are suitable for players of any instrument and young players who don’t play an instrument and would like to join in.

Elsa Bradley

Registration Fee: £8 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form) - Week 1 recording available

Intermediate Upper Strings Sessions with Andrea Gajic

Tuesday 5, 12 and 19 October

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

In this three-part series, violinist Andrea Gajic will work with Intermediate violin and viola players. The first session will be focused on developing your sound and sessions 2 and 3 on developing your bowing technique. We’ll be covering topics including how we produce sound, bow hold, contact point, arm weight and looking at techniques including martelé, collé, spiccato and sautillé.

Andrea Gajic

Registration Fee: £18 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form) - Week 1 recording available

Intermediate Lower Strings Sessions with David Munn

Tuesday 5, 12 and 19 October

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

In this three part series, cellist David Munn will work with Intermediate cellists. The first session will be focused on developing your sound and sessions 2 and 3 on developing your bowing technique. We’ll be covering topics including how we produce sound, bow hold, contact point, arm weight and position and looking at bowing techniques including martelé, collé, spiccato and sautillé.

David Munn

Registration Fee: £18 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form) - Week 1 recording available

Conducting Basics with Natalia Luis-Bassa

Tuesday 5 October

7 - 8 pm UK Time

All young people with an interest in conducting are invited to join Natalia Luis-Bassa for a session exploring the basics of conducting. In this session, we will learn how to conduct the main beating patterns in simple time and Natalia will share her tips for score reading and preparation. There will also be plenty of time for questions.

Natalia Luis-Bassa

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Shine at Sight Reading – Tips for Intermediate Strings with Rachel Cooper

Monday 11 October

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

Intermediate level string players are invited to join violinist Rachel Cooper as we work with you to breakdown the skills required to shine at sight reading. Advanced players are very welcome to attend this session as well.

Rachel Cooper

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form

Advanced Upper Strings: Fun with Fundamentals with Amy Beth Horman

Monday 11 October

7 - 8 pm UK Time

During lockdown, violinist and educator Amy Beth Horman and her daughter Ava decided to make a conscious effort to reconnect and deepen relationships with the students and families they knew online. With a newfound interest in starting a class, they worked thoughtfully to form an online community of students looking to boost their fundamental training together, and ‘Violin Breakfast’ become a global class.

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In this session, Amy Beth will work with Advanced violin and viola players on putting the FUN into Fundamentals whether it be practicing scales, working on intonation in shifting or developing your bowing techniques. She will share her top tips and activities for prioritising your disposition and mindset and experiencing freedom when practising fundamentals. With high-level exercises, we will work with you to reinforce the idea that you can have a lot of fun while doing very complex things.

Amy Beth Horman

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Advanced Cello: Detangling Technical Twisters with Su-a Lee

Monday 11 October

7 - 8 pm UK Time

In this session, cellist Su-a Lee will work with Advanced cellists to untangle the most common technical challenges. Participants are invited to bring along any questions, passages from their repertoire or anything you may be finding tricky to the session.

Su-a Lee

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Brass Basics for Beginners with Arlene Macfarlane

Tuesday 12 and 19 October

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

In these very first ever brass sessions for young players at the Benedetti Foundation, beginner brass players of all instruments are invited to join trombonist and brass specialist Arlene Macfarlane for two really fun sessions exploring the basics of playing your instruments.

These sessions will be packed full of fun and engaging activities for young players to help support you in the early stages of learning. Arlene will be sharing her favourite games and top tips for playing including developing your breathing, your embouchure and creating a good sound

Arlene Macfarlane

Registration Fee: £12 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Performing Beethoven with David Watkin

Tuesday 12 October

7 - 8 pm UK Time

Cellist David Watkin has given talks and classes and coached at conservatoires all over the world. David is an expert in Historically Informed Performance and his article ‘Beethoven and the Cello’ was published by Cambridge University Press in Performing Beethoven ed. R Stowell.

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In this session, David will share his thoughts on different aspects of performing Beethoven’s works and we invite participants to bring along any questions.

David Watkin

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

SESSION FOR PARENTS/CARERS: Supporting Your Child’s Learning with Andrea Gajic & Amy Beth Horman

Monday 18 October

7 - 8 pm UK Time

Parents/Carers/Families and anyone who supports young people’s practice and learning are invited to join violin teachers Amy Beth Horman and Andrea Gajic for a discussion on supporting your child’s learning.

This session is FREE to all and we encourage you to ask any questions either in advance, on the registration form, or bring them along on the evening.

We hope this session will provide you with a supportive community in which to share and develop strategies and ideas for supporting practice and learning at home.

Amy Beth Horman

Andrea Gajic

Registration Fee: This session is free to attend – donations are welcome

Advanced Upper Strings with Callum Smart

Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 October

7.15 - 8.15 pm UK Time

In this two-part set of sessions for Advanced Upper Strings, violinist Callum Smart will work with you on reviewing both the right and left hand. Session 1 will focus on Right Hand Review – Tips and

Tricks for Advanced Bowing Techniques and Session 2 concentrates on exercising and exploring the left hand. Over lockdown, Callum has created an incredible bank of resources on his Instagram page, breaking advanced techniques down into manageable chunks. These sessions will focus on many of these techniques and will provide the opportunity to work in detail with Callum and to ask questions and develop your understanding and your ideas.

Callum Smart

Registration Fee: £15 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Let's Explore Rhythms from Around the World with Patrick King

Tuesday 19 October

5 - 5.30 pm

Join Percussionist Patrick King as we take a rhythmic journey around the world. Open to all young people.

Patrick King

Registration Fee: £4.50 (financial support is available - please select on the registration form)

Session for Families: An Evening with Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason

Tuesday 16 November

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK Time

We are thrilled to welcome Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason to the Benedetti Foundation to lead this session for parents/carers and families. All are welcome to attend.

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason lives in Nottingham and is a former lecturer in English at The University of Birmingham. She has recently published the memoir, House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons. Kadiatu has seven children, Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, Jeneba, Aminata and Mariatu, all of whom are classical musicians and the family has been the subject of several documentaries.

We would invite questions for Kadiatu to be submitted in advance on the registration form which we will share with her in the week before the session.

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason

Registration Fee: £5 (financial support available – please select on registration form)

Beginner Basics for Strings with Rachel Cooper and David Munn

Monday 22, 29 November and 6 Decembe

5 - 5.30 pm UK Time

In these 3-part sessions, we invite all beginner string players to join us as we explore a brand new piece while developing our beginner playing skills.

David Munn

Rachel Cooper

Registration Fee: £12 (financial support available – please select on registration form)

The Science of Practice - Intermediate/Advanced Players (any instrument) with Amy Beth Horman

Monday 22, 29 November and 6 December

7 - 8 pm UK Time

During these sessions, violinist and teacher, Amy Beth Horman will be leading us on a deep dive into the science of practice. There is so much science on practice and how to be efficient, mindful, and productive in our work as musicians. With the right traction in our work, thoughtful and strategic practice has the capacity to lead us to more motivation and progress. 

By honing specific practice techniques while striving to understand more about proven methods like spaced repetition, metacognition, and interleaving practice, these sessions will reveal your potential to thrive in the practice room. 

Amy Beth Horman

Intermediate Brass Sessions with Arlene Macfarlane

Tuesday 23 and 30 November

6 - 6.45 pm UK Time

Arlene Macfarlane

Registration Fee: £12 (financial support available – please select on registration form)

Fiddly Fourth Fingers for Violins & Violas with Alex Laing

Tuesday 23 November

6 - 6.45pm UK Time

Do you want your fourth finger to go faster, go further, be more flexible? Join Alex Laing as we explore exercises to support the development of the fiddly fourth finger. This session is ideal for upper string players working around intermediate level and beyond.

Alex Laing

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support available – please select on registration form)

Improvisation for Intermediate/Advanced Players – Richard Michael

Tuesday 7 Dec

7 - 8 pm UK Time

Get in the groove with jazz pianist Richard Michael and join us for an hour of improvisation where, as he says, ‘mistakes are cool’. This session is ideal for intermediate and advanced level players – all instruments are welcome (transposition will be supported).

Richard Michael

Registration Fee: £7.50 (financial support available – please select on registration form)